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Fursuit Building- How to build the Head.
Main Points * Measure your head. This is important for the way your fursuit head will fit. Failure to do this will result in your fursuit head being too tight, which causes discomfort. This may also restrict vision, as the eyes will move out of place. This is very important when suiting, as vision is limited beforehand. Also, watch some videos (Pocari is recommended) on how to take care of your fursuit head. You need a handler at all times or you may get seriously injured! You could even have a heat stroke! Be careful when fursuiting! Decide if you want the head to be toony or realistic. If you're making a realistic head of, for example, a wolf, study the anatomy of a wolf head. With a toony head, you won't have to study quite as much anatomy.'' '' You can find stencils or templates of fur heads on Google if you like. Decide if you are using a plastic mesh skeleton or foam base. This tutorial will be focusing on making a head with a plastic mesh base and a balaclava base '' ''Materials: *Paper *Pencil *Markers *Chalk (for dark fur) *Plastic canvas (mesh) or a balaclava *Upholstery foam *Hot glue gun *Scissors, trimmers, anything that cuts fur *Fake fur; Luxury Shag or Faux Fur are the usual choices *Acrylic Paints (for eyes) *Sculpt *Nose *Patience and creativity *Clay Things that are NOT fursuit building materials: *Shag carpet, fun fur; although cheap alternatives, these are usually heavy, hard to work with, or difficult to wash, which is essential for a suit. *Real fur *Aerosol, spray paint *Cardboard *Elmer's Glue or any sort of PVA or Casein glue, these are toxic and are extremely dangerous when in an unventilated area. *Bags Creating the base for the head You should purchase or make a balaclava. Make sure that the balaclava fits well on your head before gluing foam on it! We recommend putting it on a mannequin head so that it stays still and sturdy during your project. Glue chunks of foam onto the balaclava in the shape of the target end result. There are plenty of images and tutorials out there to help you with this step. Putting on the fur First thing you need to do is tape your fursuit base and label it. For tape, you can use duct tape or masking tape. Be careful with the kind of tape, too strong and it will rip chunks of the foam out, making it choppy and will tamper with the end result. Many people put a thin layer of Kitchen Towel down first to prevent this. With masking tape, make sure you put a lot on until you can't see the foam underneath. Otherwise, when you cut it off, it won't stay together. While it's still attached to the head, draw your markings on, along with which color, fur direction, etc. Begin cutting the tape into large, manageable sections. This creates the template for your fur and where you need to sew, so be mindful of where the seams would be. Cut the patterns separately, organizing by color. Be careful when removing the tape. If done correctly, it should peel off without much of a hassle, otherwise, gently cut underneath and try to minimalize foam tearing. Place your tape sections onto your fur. This is where the arrows come in handy, as this will help when cutting. If the fur direction is wrong, your suit will not look flush and it cannot be fixed. Trace around the template with a pencil; pen will bleed through and stain the fur. Cut the templates out, preferably with a scalpel or Stanley knife from the back to prevent fur loss. If you are using follow-me eyes, put them in before you put the fur on as it is easier to put them in rather than afterwards and allows a more flush finish. For more about eyes, look in the eye section of this article. When putting on the fur, sew it together so that you can't see the seam. Otherwise, your fursuit won't look right. The next thing to do is to add small amounts of glue to secure the fur, making sure it won't slip. Otherwise it could make the head heavy, clumpy, and stop any moving jaw actions. Once the fur is secure, allow the glue to solidify. Brush it out thoroughly in the direction it faces and decide if you want to trim. Most professional fur suit heads have the muzzle up to the forehead and cheeks trimmed to allow a more natural look, as most untrimmed fur suit heads look messy and unruly. Eyes There are three different eyes you can use for your head: resin, follow-me eyes, and 2D eyes (made with mesh). For a toony fursuit, the best eyes would be follow me or 2D. Follow-me Eyes Follow-me eyes are self-explanatory. To make these you need foam/funky foam. They can be found at almost any craft store. You will want a white/black sheet. You can find tutorials on YouTube. 2D Eyes These are simple and easy to make. What you need is a white mesh. These can be found at craft stores, or online. You also need acrylic paint.. First, cut out a shape that is LARGER than the eye holes in your head. Next, draw out the pupil and iris in desired shape. Frequently place the eye to see if you can clearly see the eye. After you have done that, glue the mesh to the INSIDE of the head, and you have your 2D eyes. Resin Eyes Resin eyes are made out of resin. Resin is a type of plastic. You can buy the supplies near crafting or hardware store. Tutorials flood the internet, so you should have no problem finding help. They can also be bought pre-made. To install resin eyes, make sure you have some see-through material near the tear-duct of the animal's eyes. This is to prevent blindness, as resin eyes are not transparent. If installing LED lights, make sure you place them carefully in an area that will not reduce your sight- there have been many times when LED lights block the wearer's field of vision. Adding the jaw There are two types of jaws: movable and static. A movable jaw moves when you talk. A movable jaw is most likely set on hinges, unless you have a foam-based head. In order for a tutorial, please search the internet; there are many different ways to create and install a jaw, which usually conform to the users way of creating. For teeth, you can use Sculpey, a type of clay. Shape the teeth into the shape that satisfies you the most. Studying anatomy of your creature's species is recommended before applying the teeth to the base. Be careful with your baked Sculpey, as it has a tendency to chip and sometimes even break if dropped. Teeth can also be made with felt, faux leather, or fleece. Sew together small shapes, either rounded or pointed, and sew into the felt lining in the mouth. These can look bulky and out of place if not done correctly, so practice beforehand until you find a pattern or shape you prefer. If you feel the need to add a tongue, felt, resin, or crafter's clay is available. Just shape and color to your satisfaction. Adding the nose. You can either use a felt or faux leather nose or a resin cast nose- maybe even a nose made of latex for a squish! Resin noses are harder than most, but work efficiently. You can drill holes where the nostrils are and make it hollow to help with air ventilation throughout the head. Use a hot glue gun to add the nose, or sew it into place if you are using fleece, faux leather, or felt. Be aware of the thickness of your nose. If too bulky it can block your field of view.'' The ears Use an ear base as well. Bases are readily available by searching for them on the Internet. Glue foam onto the ears. You fur the ears like you fur the head: hot glue, let dry, and cut the fur a little with scissors to make it look cleaner (if needed). This can also be achieved with only foam. If using foam, the number one mistake people make is just cutting a triangle or rounded shape from a single piece of foam and gluing it on. This will make it look unnatural and out of place. This can be used as a base, and to build up around the outside. One of the main ways is to bend a thick piece of foam into a semi-circular shape at the base, then trim to the shape you want. This gives a new dimension and looks flush with your head. Additional notes: * Make sure to clean your fur head regularly; sweat can build up and cause mold and odor. *Don't let other people wear the head unless you know them well, they could have lice! *Make a badge; this will help you explain your character and its fun, especially if you are a mute suit. *Make sure you have a handler with you if you go out or to a con, since you could overheat or get into trouble. *Invest in a small sewing kit that you can carry around if any breakages happen. If you use your suit regularly, a weak stitch may pop and unravel. *If a stitch does unravel while you're out suiting, the most useful stitch you can use to fix it is the blanket stitch until you can take it home and fix it up with a more permanent stitch. *Ask for a critic. Online forums can be useful, as a parent or friend may give a biased opinion. Category:Forums Category:fursuiting Category:art